Obama to sign order banning discrimination against gays

WASHINGTON — President Obama plans to sign an executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating against employees based on sexual orientation, administration officials said Monday.

"The specific details of that order have not been finalized," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest, so a signing date has not been set.

The order will mirror a Senate bill designed to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) workers from employment discrimination, a proposal that had languished in the House.

White House officials disclosed the plan a day before Obama is scheduled to address an LGBT gala in New York City sponsored by the Democratic National Committee.

Federal law already bans discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, gender and national origin.

Earnest and other officials said Obama has directed his staff to prepare an executive order that would prohibit federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. They said did not know when the paperwork would be ready for Obama's signature.

This is the latest example of Obama authorizing an executive order designed in part to get around a Republican-run House that has blocked his initiatives.

Previous Obama orders have raised the minimum wage for federal contract workers, and increased the number of workers eligible for overtime pay.

Gay rights organizations praised the proposed employment order, but noted it would apply only to federal contractors. They said they would continue to pursue congressional legislation that would apply to all employers.

By issuing an executive order, Obama "will not only create fairer workplaces across the country, he will demonstrate to Congress that adopting federal employment protections for LGBT people is good policy and good for business," said Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign.

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said, "The reality is that many LGBT workers still remain vulnerable to employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Without the enactment of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, it remains perfectly legal to do so in many states across the country."